Ratchet mechanism



May 21, 1940; o. P. FROESCHL ET AL. 2,201,827

RATCHET MECHANISM Filed April 17, 1939 3nventor6.

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Patented May 21, 1940 UNITED STATES RATCHET MECHANISM Otto P. Froeschland Paul A. Froeschl, Kansas City, Mo.

Application April 17, 1939, Serial No. 268,197

I 1 Claim.

This invention relates to ratchet wrenches and the like and has for oneof its objects to produce a construction in which all of the operatingparts are concealed, but having means conveniently accessible to theoperator for quickly and easily changing from a right or left handratchet without removing the tool from operative position.

Another object of the invention is to produce a construction in whichthe point of contact be tween a pawl and the ratchet wheel is brought asclose to the center line of the wrench as possible, the load being thusimposed on the solid and more substantial part of the wrench.

A further object of the invention is to produce a double ratchet wrenchof the general character set forth which is of strong, durable,efficient and inexpensive construction; and in order that it may befully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Figure 1 is an elevational face View of a ratchet Wrench embodying theinvention.

Figure 2 is a similar View of the opposite side of the wrench, but withthe pawl-retracting plate omitted to disclose the two pawls in positionto lock the ratchet wheel against rotation in either direction,independently of movement of the tool as a whole.

Figure 3 is a central vertical section of the head of the wrench and ofcertain parts, the ratchet wheel and the ratchet wheel retaining platebeing shown in elevation.

Figure 4 is a section on the line IVIV of Figure 3, with the settingplate adjusted to retract one dog to inoperative position and permit theother one to engage the ratchet wheel, the setting plate except its huband pin, appearing in dotted lines.

Figure 5 is an elevation of the underside of the setting plate or pawlretracting plate.

In the drawing, Where like reference characters identify correspondingparts in all of the figures, l is an operating handle, which at one ofits ends terminates in an enlarged head 2.

One side of the head is chambered out to form a cylindrical socket 3,and rotatably received within said socket is a ratchet wheel 4 having areduced bearing extension 5 journaled in an opening in the closed sideof the head 2.

The ratchet wheel is retained in the socket by a closure plate 6 havinga central opening through which the tool-engaging stem 1 of the ratchetwheel projects. The cover or closure plate may be secured in position inany suitable 55 manner as by being threaded in position, in

which event the cover plate has spanner wrench receiving sockets 8.

By preference, the ratchet teeth 9 having identical opposite operatingfaces for engagement respectively with one of a pair of right and lefthand pawls hereinafter identified. Extending angularly through the sidewall of the head are a pair of rectangular bores or passageways whichintersect each other, and also intersect the chamber containing theratchet wheel; and slidingly 10 mounted in said bores are a pair ofhollow rectangular pawls In, which are advanced against the ratchetWheel, when unrestrained, by means of springs ll inserted between saidpawls and closure plugs I2 closing the ends of the bores. 15 With theconstruction described and shown, the pawls bear such a relation to theteeth of the ratchet wheel that the operating face of each tooth finds abroad and full seat on its respective pawl. It will be apparent thatswinging 20 movement of the handle I in either direction will, throughone or the other pawl, lock the ratchet wheel so that it is rotated inaccordance with the swinging of said handle, the operative pawl beingrepressed by pressure applied against its 25 end longitudinally of itsaxis, when the handle is swung in the opposite direction.

In order to selectively withdraw one pawl or the other, depending uponthe direction it is desired to drive the ratchet wheel, the closed side30 of the head is formed with a cylindrical socket l3, having its axisin the plane of the longitudinal center line of the handle, said socketintersecting a side wall of the bores containing the pawls, so that saidpawls form a portion of the 5 bottom of the socket, see Figure 2. Thesocket is axially counterbored and received in the counterbore is athreaded screw M which is engaged with an internally threaded hub orstem l5 projecting from the underside of a cylindrical plate 40 i6rotatively mounted in the socket I3. The upper face of the plate has across rib l1 forming an operating handle for rotating the plate.Projecting from the underside of the plate is a pawl repressing pin I8,which can be oscillated by 45 movement imparted to the plate, so thatsaid pin swings from one pawl-bore to the other, and functions torepress either of the pawls from operative engagement with the ratchetwheel according to whether it is desired to have a right or a left handratchet wrench. Mounted in a socket in the head 2 underlying the plateI6 is a frictional ball catch is pressed outwardly by a spring 29 toselectively enter one or the other of a pair of sockets 2| formed on theunderside of said plate, so that the device may be automatically lockedwith the selected pawl in retracted position, the frictional lockoffering sufiicient resistance to overcome the pressure of the springsll against their respective pawls.

From the above description, it will be apparent that while we havedescribed and illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, itis to be understood that we reserve the right to all changes within thespirit of the invention and without the ambit of the prior art.

We claim:

In ratchet mechanism a tool head having a through passagewaycounterbc-red to form a socket, a removable plate closing the open endof the counterbore, a ratchet wheel journaled in said socket and held inposition by said plate, a second through passageway in the tool head andspaced from and parallel to the first-named passageway, a counterbore insaid second passageway and intersecting the first-named counterbore, apair of non-circular bores having their axes at right angles to the axesof the through passageways and intersecting said passageways at a lineconnecting the axes of said passageways, said bores diverging outwardlyand being so related that a line connecting the axes of the twopassageways bisects the angles formed between prolongations of the axesof bores, spring-advanced pawls non-rotatively received in each bore, apair of diametrically opposite sides of each pawl being in parallelrelation and respectively adapted to simultaneously engage one wall ofits respective bore and a correspondingly parallel face of a ratchettooth, a pawl-retracting member bearing a journaled relation to thesecond through passageway, a pin projecting from said member and adaptedfor selective positioning in either bore to effect repression of thecorresponding pawl, and a frictional lock carried by the head forsecuring the pawl-retracting member in selected position.

o'r'ro P. FRoEscHL. PAUL A. FROESCHL.

